At Mission 98, we love to highlight people who serve in apartment ministries, and that’s why we can’t wait for you to meet Rachel and Austin Weatherby!
Tell us about the apartment community that you serve.
We serve at Sterling Oaks, an apartment complex located on the outskirts of the town of Chico, California. Chico usually draws a young crowd because it is home to California State University, Chico. However, because our apartment complex is on the outside of town, we typically draw an older demographic. This means we have a lot of residents who are retired and/or have lost spouses or are seeking to be closer to their children or grandchildren. This presents an opportunity to connect with a lot of people who are lonely and seeking community.
Share one way you see God moving in your apartment community. We definitely see God moving through Sterling Oaks as He draws various broken and vulnerable people into community with one another. Having an older demographic brings a lot of people who are moving through painful transitions. We have many widows who recently lost their spouses. We also have a lot of people who have had to downsize their living environment due to health reasons. There are also many young families with kids (including ourselves). Despite the variations in life stage and circumstance, there is a common need for community. We have seen God love the widows, provide for friends whose health is physically declining, and offer support to new families by bringing us together through our weekly events. Sterling Oaks hosts a weekly breakfast as well as a weekly evening event for residents. We have seen countless residents come together and form friendships through these events. We often see these friendships turn into residents checking-in on each other and meeting each other’s needs. We personally have felt the sweetness of Sterling Oak’s community as we have had lots of neighbors interact with and play with our boys as we host the weekly events. The Lord has definitely been good to Sterling Oaks in bringing people together.
What scripture do you refer to when describing your apartment ministry? We like to reflect on Matthew 25, when Jesus said, “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Apartment complexes bring an assortment of people. It definitely brings people we wouldn’t typically interact with. However, The Lord gifts us with the ability to interact with various people, and we often find these interactions bless our family in ways we never could have foreseen.
What’s your favorite thing about serving in an apartment ministry? We love a lot of different things about serving at Sterling Oaks. Probably our favorite is getting to see our kids form relationships with our neighbors. Getting to serve our neighbors weekly has allowed us to really get to know various people. These people have become good friends and have watched our kids grow up. Residents will bring toy cars to our car-enthused two year old, they will check up on our family when they hear we are sick or when we were out on maternity leave. They will consistently take time to play and interact with our boys. The relationships we have formed through the CCC program have blessed our whole family, and we love that our kids are surrounded by such a special community.
What is something others may not know about serving in an apartment community? While people often don’t like to live so closely to others, a benefit is you get a heightened opportunity to interact wth your neighbors. As a community that tends to move towards individuality, boundaries, and often-times isolation, there really is so much joy in knowing and being known by those around you. Just to have neighbors who will water your plants, check on your family, and help you start your car. There really is so much sweetness to living in close proximity to others.
Rachel and Austin, thank you for loving and serving the community of Sterling Oaks well! If you want to meet other people like Rachel and Austin who are serving in an apartment ministry, we’d love to have you join us in the Mission 98 online community.
As a community that tends to move towards individuality, boundaries, and often-times isolation, there really is so much joy in knowing and being known by those around you.
Rachel and Austin Weatherby
